Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Pe Exemption And Grading topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District 128 standardizes PE exemptions and stops using fitness-test scores to grade students
Summary
After focus groups and policy review, district administrators proposed a single PE exemption process for athletes, set districtwide return-to-class dates, clarified non-athletic exemption procedures, and said fitness test scores and heart-rate outputs will no longer be used as part of students' course grades.
District 128 administration told the board it will standardize the high-school PE exemption process, create consistent return-to-class dates across Libertyville and Vernon Hills, and change grading practices that relied on fitness testing and heart-rate monitor outputs.
Tom (district staff leading the review) presented three recommendations developed after focus groups with students and administrative review: (1) one standardized exemption process for athletes, with two fall return dates and two winter return dates and a spring-athlete exemption (most spring athletes’ seasons extend past the school year); (2) immediate changes to grading so that fitness-test results cannot be used as part of a student's course grade; and (3) clearer administrative guidance for non-athletic PE waivers so requests are reviewed equitably across buildings.
On grading, administration said state guidance prohibits using fitness-testing results as part of a course grade. "Starting immediately, the PE fitness testing at Vernon Hills — you get graded for participating in it, but your actual score ... can't be used as part of your overall course grade," the presenter said. The district interpreted that heart-rate monitor outputs could be viewed as fitness testing and therefore removed them as a graded output.
Board members pressed administration on implementation and remediation. One member urged a proactive review of historical grades that may have been affected; administration said families of current students were notified about review options and that the district would provide a communication and proactive system-level analysis to identify students whose grades may need adjustment. "Students can individually come forward as well while we do that review," administration said, and committed to notifying families and updating grading procedures in impacted classes.
Why it matters: The district acknowledged certain local practices at Vernon Hills had used fitness-test and heart-rate outputs in grading and said those practices were not aligned with state guidance. The change affects students' grades and how athletic participation interacts with academic scheduling and equity.
Next steps: Administration will publish updated administrative guidance, standardize exemption forms across buildings, share revised grading procedures with families, and run a systemic review to identify students who may need grade adjustments. The board discussed but did not adopt an immediate policy change at the meeting; legal and administrative teams will provide final language to guide implementation.
